Fadnavis was responding to a discussion in the Assembly, initiated by Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who lauded the farmers participating in the 'Kisan Long March' for their peaceful protest while demanding a complete loan waiver and compensation for hailstorm and pink bollworm pest attack on crops.

Ajit Nawale of the All India Kisan Sabha, which has organised the march, told PTI that senior Sena leader and PWD Minister Eknath Shinde met protesting long march leaders when it entered neighbouring Thane earlier today.

Sinha, on arrival for the session, was received by Speaker Pramod Sawant and senior minister and MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar, in the absence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar who has been hospitalised in Mumbai due to a pancreatic ailment.

"Under this scheme farmers will be given Rs 200 per quintal incentive in the support price for wheat and paddy crops. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a support price of Rs 1,735 per quintal for wheat. After adding this incentive to it, it will be about Rs 2,000 per quintal," Chouhan announced while addressing a convention of farmers here yesterday.

"The government says farmers' income will be doubled by 2022. But it's not possible until the agricultural growth is 12 per cent. Until we achieve that ... It is just a hollow assurance," Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad quoted Singh as saying after a meeting of opposition parties here.

Large swaths of the farming community — who make up the bulk of India's population — are growing disillusioned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, as reflected by December's Gujarat state election.

India, the world's second-biggest sugar producer, requires the processors to pay cane farmers within two weeks of harvest. The mills agreed in May to pay the farmers 11 percent more for their cane for the 2017/18 marketing year, which started on Oct. 1.